YBN Cordae on stage at the Boulder Theater. Friday, Jan. 31, 2020. (Avi Goldstein/CU Independent)
With the release of his debut studio album “The Lost Boy,” North Carolina-native Cordae Dunston stunned the hip-hop industry, racking up two Grammy nominations for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song for his track “Bad Idea.” Dunston’s sold-out performance at the Boulder Theater on Jan. 31, his second show in Colorado, was likewise exhilarating, showing his powerful lyricism and high-energy beats.
Dunston, better known as his stage name YBN Cordae, joined the “Young Boss N*ggas” (YBN) collective back in 2018. The founders of YBN, Almighty Jay and Nahmir, met on Xbox Live playing “Grand Theft Auto” back in 2014. Dunston would later meet the two through Instagram in 2017 after Nahmir’s song “Rubbin’ Off the Paint” blew up. Previously, Dunston released three mixtapes under the name Entendre, a hint at his clever, layered and lyrical approach that he continues to show in YBN.
Two barren trees with red roses, as well as “The Lost Boy” sign from his album, provided a picturesque stage layout. Dunston’s high-energy, head-bobbing tracks “Have Mercy,” “Lost and Found” and “Broke as F*ck” off of his newest record erupted fervent mosh pits on the floor of the theater, as bodies drenched in sweat ricocheted off one another. “Broke as F*ck,” the crowd favorite of the three, details the struggles Dunston faced with the passing of his grandmother and the murder of his cousin, all while being hungry and broke, trying to stay motivated to push forward. Dunston spit out his powerful lyrics over a sinister piano track and upbeat kick pattern, as the crowd bounced and resonated along with him.
YBN Cordae performs for a sold-out crowd at the Boulder Theater. Friday, Jan. 31, 2020. (Avi Goldstein/CU Independent)
Rigorous, rapid-fire lyrical flow and smooth effortless vibrato resounded throughout Dunston’s stellar performance. He often repeated the chorus of his tracks acapella with his crowd after the song finished because the singing audience “just sounded so damn good,” he said.
During his set, Dunston threw it back to May of 2018 performing his animated remix to Eminem’s “My Name Is” that reeled in almost 900,000 plays on YouTube. The remix premiered just four months prior to his group’s project “YBN: The Mixtape” and helped the group make their mark on the hip-hop scene, racking up a BET Hip-Hop Award Nomination for Best Mixtape.
Dunston connected with his audience whenever possible throughout his stimulating show. Whether that be his persistent call and response antics or the numerous times he asked for the lights to shine down on the crowd so he could see their “beautiful faces.”
Dunston took time during his show to celebrate the recent lives lost of those he admired. He performed “Lucid Dreams” in celebration of the life of his good friend Juice Wrld, a Chicago-born rapper and singer who passed the month prior due to a drug-induced seizure. Prior to his heartfelt performance, Dunston chanted “Kobe” along with the crowd as they paid their respects to the NBA legend Kobe Bryant, who lost his life in a helicopter crash last Sunday.
YBN Cordae performing songs from his debut studio album “The Lost Boy” at the Boulder Theater. Friday, Jan. 31, 2020. (Ryan Corbett/CU Independent)
To finish off his outstanding set, Dunston sounded off his bouncy beat ironic track “RNP,” a song that resulted from a conversation in which Dunston’s father told him his complaints sounded like “rich n*gga problems.” Dunston and three-time Grammy award winner Anderson Paak performed “RNP” on Jimmy Fallon days before his debut album dropped. Dunston repeated the track three consecutive times with a different individual rapping Paak’s verses in the song. First, his DJ and then two different audience members joined, allowing them to share the colorful spotlight along with him.
The Grammy nominee may not have taken home any hardware from the 62nd award show five days prior, but as Dunston put it Friday night, he is “just getting started.”
YBN Cordae is continuing on his tour with shows carrying on into this summer. More information can be found here.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Benny Titelbaum at benjamin.titelbaum@colorado.edu.
